Easy Raw Polish Carrot Salad (Surówka z Marchewki)

By
Barbara Rolek
Barbara Rolek
Barbara Rolek is a former chef who became a cooking school instructor and award-winning food writer.
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Updated on 02/8/22
Easy Raw Polish Carrot Salad (Surówka z Marchewki) served on plates and in a serving bowl

The Spruce Eats / Abby Mercer

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Refrigerate: 60 mins
Total: 80 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
91 Calories
2g Fat
18g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 91
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2g 3%
Saturated Fat 0g 2%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 77mg 3%
Total Carbohydrate 18g 7%
Dietary Fiber 2g 9%
Total Sugars 12g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 2mg 10%
Calcium 20mg 2%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 223mg 5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This easy no-cook recipe for Polish carrot salad or surówka z marchewki (soo-RROOF-kahz mah-RREF-kee) is from chef Halina Piedziak of Pałac Łochów in the Polish village of Łochów.

Łochów Palace is a renovated manor house on a beautiful property now serving as upscale lodging and a conference center in the Mazovia region in mid-northeastern Poland.

The difference between surówka and sałatka is that the former salad is made with fresh, raw vegetables and the latter salad can be a meat, seafood, or vegetable salad made with cooked ingredients. 

This is a great salad option for a brunch or buffet table.

Ingredients

  • 5 large carrots, peeled and coarsely grated

  • 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and coarsely grated

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil, or avocado oil

  • 1/2 cup raisins, dark or light, plumped in warm water for 15 minutes

  • Kosher salt, to taste

  • Sugar, to taste

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Easy Raw Polish Carrot Salad (Surówka z Marchewki) ingredients in separate bowls

    The Spruce / Abby Mercer

  2. In a large bowl, mix together carrots, apple, lemon juice, oil, plumped and drained dark or light raisins, salt to taste, and sugar to taste.

    Carrots, apple, lemon juice, oil, and raisins in a large white bowl

    The Spruce / Abby Mercer

  3. After ingredients are thoroughly mixed, cover and refrigerate until cold. Serve on chilled salad plates or pass around at the table. 

    Easy Raw Polish Carrot Salad (Surówka z Marchewki) in a large white bowl that's covered with plastic wrap

    The Spruce / Abby Mercer

Difference Between Polish Raw Salads and Cooked Salads

  • Sałatka: A sałatka typically is a cold salad made with cooked ingredients. Sałatki might include chicken, tuna, ham, beef, frankfurter, egg, and other cooked proteins dressed with sour cream or Polish mayonnaise. Others are made with cooked vegetables like potatoes, beets, and others. 
  • Surówka: A surówka is a cold salad made with raw ingredients like this carrot salad or this sliced cucumbers in sour cream (mizeria). Other surówki are lettuce (sałata) salads, grated carrot with apple, sauerkraut, fresh cabbage, beet, radish, and other salads. Surówki typically accompanies hot meals. They change based on seasonal produce. So in the winter, root vegetable salads figure prominently.